Well recording mechanism



Oct. 23, 1951 z, HAMNER 2,572,025

WELL RECORDING MECHANISM 6 SheetsSheet 1 Filed June 18, 1945 Pa ul ZHamner INVENTOR.

I P. Z. HAMNER WELL RECORDING MECHANISM Oct. 23, 1951 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 18, 1945 Paul Z Hamner INVENTOR.

6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Paul Z.Hamner INVENTOR.

HISAGEIVZZ P. Z. HAMNER Amy/A 4 ll I I a H n 3 Oct. 23, 1951 WELL RECORDING MECHANISM Filed June 18, 1945" Oct. 23, 1951 Filed June 18, 1945 P. z. HAMNER 2,572,025

WELL RECORDING MECHANISM 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR,

Oct. 23, 1951 P z ME 2,572,025

Filed June 18, 1945 WELL RECORDING MECHANISM 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Fly..9

- asmulsq Paul Z.Han 2n er 86 INVENTOR.

QWM I 111: 505w:

Patented Oct. 23, 1951 Paul- Z. Hamner, Iowa. Park, Tex., assignor of one-half to Wayland D.,Keitl i, Wichita Falls,

Tex.

Application u e 18 1945, Serial No. 600,122 7 This invention relates to improvements in well recording mechanisms, particularly for deter? mining. and recording information obtained during the drilling of deep wells.

Tooperate well drilling equipment in the most efiicient manner, the driller should have readily available several types of information throughout theprocess of the drilling, particularly the amount of time required todrill through each foot of the formation, the speed at which the ro-' tarytable is driven during the drilling of each foot of formation, and the mud pump ressure at the time of drilling each specified foot of formation. It is also desirable to know the time when the drilling was stopped and the length of time required to remove the drill stem from the bore hole of the well.

With this information determined and H recorded, an. experienced driller is able to determinetherefrom the progress and characteristics of the drilling operation and particularly the efficiency thereof. -By recording this information accurately on a log strip, it can be used to improve the drilling procedure of the well or applied in the drilling of other wells under similar conditions, 1 I

flhe present invention is designed .primarily for determining. and recording in chronological v.relation the most important types of datathat will he lusefulito ithe. operatorv or driller in determinin the proper drilling procedure for mostefficient operation .or tto change the procedure used as may be desirable. 1

vTheobjectof-this invention is to. provide for the. automatic determining and. recording .on. .a logfs-heet .or record .strip in chronological-order certain data which results as a function of the drilling operation to make this-available to the driller both asthe drilling progresses and from time=to=time thereafter whenever its-use may be desirable.

.Another. object of the invention is to simplify and improve recording ."mechanismfor. this purpose to enable suchmechanism .to: be-manufactu-red inexpensively, operated without-difficulty, attached readilvto the drilling equipmentto' operate in. synchronism therewith! and ye twill give dependable and permanent records..- of the. vare. lous actionsinvolved in the drillingoperation, recording these chronologically on a chart orrec ord strip so as'to make them available to the driller when needed.

:The invention is embodied preferably in the form of ,anelectrically operated well recording mechanism which functions in response to the 7 Claims: (01. 25 .4)

several elements of the drilling equipment-to corelate the actions thereof on a log sheet-or record strip, 50 as to make these results avail.- able to the. driller.

This embodiment is shown for purposes of il lustration in the accompanying drawings in which: 7 I

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of'a well drilling rig with parts broken away, and illustrating -dia-. grammatically the recorder associated there: with;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the recording instrument with the cover removed and with I parts broken away and insection;

Fig. -3 is a vertical section through the strip perforator thereof; 1

Fig. 4 is a side elevation detached; I Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a perforator plate detached; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the perforator devices and their wiring diagrams; Fig. '7 is a side elevation of a contact device. that is operated in synchronism with the drilling equipment; 7

Fig. 8 is a top plan view thereof; Fig. .9 is a top plan view of a stop switchdevice;- Fig.l0 is a-plan view of a revolution counter switch device; and

of a perforator lever Fig. 11 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion thereof on the line H--H of Fig. 10.

This invention is adapted to beused in con-. nection with a rotary well drilling rig which has the customary mud pump, rotary' table, drawworks and derrick. The mechanism is interconnected to operate in conjunction with the several devices in order to determine and record in corelation the functions of these several devices as, for instance, the speed of the rotarytable, the speed of the mud pump, the distance the drill stem is lowered, and the distance that the drill stem is raisedfrom the borehole of the well.

These functions are corelated to the time thatit takes to drill each specific foot of formation and all of such information is recorded" on a log sheet or record strip available to the driller at all times; I

Referring to Fig. '1, the numeral 1 indicates the base from which the conventional derrick 2 is in upstanding relation. The derrick 2 has mounted on the upper end thereof a conventional crown block assembly generally indicated at 3 that includes rotary sheaves mounted on a crossshaft 4, and over which sheaves a cable 5 extends for suspending a swivel B in the usual .larly in Fig. 2. a supply roll [8 journaled on the base I6 over a Pump, Raising Drill Stern and manner. The swivel 6 carries the drill stem 1 that extends downwardly in the well and on the lower end of the drill stem is located the drill connected with the cable that suspends the drill stem I to raise or lower the drill in the well as desired, the drill being lowered normally during the rotation of the drill stem for drilling purposes.

The drill stem 1 ordinarily is hollow and it is customary to force drilling mud down through from the back support 22 to provide a'vertical slot therebetween through which the record strip [1 may be guided and held for the punching operation. The support 22 and die plate 23 are provided with aligned orifices 24 and 25, respectively, arranged in positions along the die plate 23 to correspond with the respective columns of the recordstrip IT, as will'be evident from Figs. 2 and 5. Each pair of aligned orifices 24 and 25 is adapted to receive and guide a punch 26 mounted for reciprocating movement therearound the drill stem to carry the earth cuttings to the top of the well and for sealing the side walls manner of applying this invention in connection therewith. 1

Associated with the drilling equipment is a recording device generally illustrated at M which may be mounted in some convenient position near the drilling equipment where it may beaccessible and visible to the driller for inspection purposes from time-to-time as the drilling progresses. A transparent cover I5 is detachably mounted to enclose the record sheet or strip and may carry suitable indicia in properly disposed relation to the different parts of the record strip so as to indicate to the driller the nature of the information recorded thereon.

The recording device is shown more in detail in Figs. 2 to 5. A support 16 has the cover l5 detachably mounted thereon and carries the operating parts of the recorder as shown particu- A record strip l1 extends from guide roll Hi to a winding roll 20, these rolls being properly journaled on the base I6 and mounted for turning movement upon upward movement of the record strip I! as wound upon the roll 20. This winding action .is accomplished by the rotation of the roll 20 by power, being operated by The record strip is divided transversely into columns for indicating respectively different 7 ty es of information desired by the driller, such as Time,. R. P. M. Rotary Table, R. P. M.

"Depth in Feet. 1

While these respective designations indicate "theusually desired information, it is evident that 'other characteristics may be determined as desired and the system changed accordingly to vary-the type.;of information indicated and recorded thereby.

The record strip extends upwardly over a back support 22v between the latter and a die plate 23. The die plate 23 is mounted in spaced relation through and carried by a plunger 21 which forms the core of a solenoid 28. One punch 26 and solenoid 28 are provided for each pair of orifices Hand 25 spaced along the die plate 23 according to the number of orifices provided for the respective columns of information to be recorded on the strip I! which may be varied as desired. The respective solenoids 28 are secured to the back face of the plate 22 as shown in Fig. 3.

Each plunger 21 has a loose connection with a bifurcated portion 29 of a lever 30 that extends upwardly'behind the back plate 22. The lever 30 is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a flange 3| formed on the plate 22, by means of a slot 32 in the lever which receives a pin 33 carried by the flange 3|, thus forming a loose pivotal support for the lever capable of swinging movement relative, thereto under the influence of the solenoid 28. The upper end .of the lever 30 has a coiled spring 34 connected therewith normally tending to move the lever to the position shown in Fig. 3, where its movement is limited by a guide screw 35 located in the bifurcation 29 of the lever. The guide screw 35 may be adjusted to vary the withdrawn position of the punch 25 relative'to the orifice 24. In this position, the lever 30 will hold the punch 26 in its retracted position, as shown in Fig. 3,

clear of the record strip allowing movement of the latter. When the solenoid 28 is energized, the plunger 21 will be attracted to move forward therein, projecting the punch 26 through the orifices 24, 25, thereby punching a hole in the record sheet to form an indication of respectively different actions of the well drilling equipment.

1 The several punching devices are spaced transversely of the record sheet I! to register with the respective-columns thereof as will be evident from Fig. 2, and are respectively operated through a control circuit as shown in Fig. 6 in response to respective control devices as hereinafter described. 1

The recording device has provision also for recording on the record strip I! the depth in feet of the drilling operation in the Well. This is shown in Fig. 2, as includin a printing attachment 36 having rotatable numbering rolls generally designated at 36', of a character well-known in the printing art, and operated by a solenoid 31. This printing device 36 is mounted on the front face of'the die plate 23 which plate is provided with an opening 38 therein (Fig. 5) for printing action of the device in contact with the front face of the record strip I! as will be evident from Fig. 2. The recording of total footage by this printing device may beat intervals of ten feet, if desired, or at other distances which may be practical for particular applications of this invention. Intermediate footage markings may be provided by a perforator punch of the character described above.

The recordv strip is also preferably imprinted with time designations which are initially applied thereto or applied by a printing devicincoram nes timed relation with the loweringmovement of the drill stem l in the well asthe drilling" pro gresses To synchronize this action; I have pro-= vided a" switch' device; generally designated at 39ii1'l3ig; 1, at-thetop of the derrick to be op-- erated inacc'ordancewith the lowering or raising movements of the" and stem. This switch device 39 1s shown more indetail in Figs. 7* and 8 Thisswitch device-39 isoperated by a sprocket chain 4Gwhich' extends fromthe sheave shaft 4 v ofthe-crown'= block 3' and passes over a-sprocket 4i of'the switch device (Figs. Wand 8 j'ou-r-- naled loosely on a shat-t4? rigidly fixed against rotation in the switch device and supporting the-operating parts thereof. Ratchet-wheels and il are journaled on the shaft 42 on o'ppo site sides of the'spreckeh li Theratchet wheels 53 and 44 have-the teethtliereof turned op--- pesited'irections so as to function in opposed di recti'ons. These" ratchetwheels are confined by pins 45 -to their operating positionswhile' fr ee' Pa'wls" 4'3- and d'hare pivotally' mounted on re spective opposite sides of the'sprocket 4iand are-turned in opposite directions corresponding with the directions of the respective ratchet the respective pawls it and 4*F-to hold these in engagement with the ratchet' wheels43-and 44-.

Fixed td the respective ratchet whe'els 43 and 44 on the outer 'sideethereof-"and proje'cting'radi a-lly therefrom; asshown-in Fig. '7, are resilient switch arms Mi -and 59 in position iorwiping relation with pairsof'conta'cts 5land 52 mounted on upstanding supports 53 in the'switchdevice. Inasmuchasthe desiredtime of contact" of short" duration; the' wiping faces-of the switch arms- 49' and 5ll areformed by resilient loops 54 and 55} respectively; to insure of effective contact for'a sufficientlength-of'timetooperate the recording mechanism; These" wiping elements;

aswell as the respective arms, are" preferably" f'oi' medof thin sheet m'etal having the desired" resiliency.

Since the contacts which are I made to operate" the respectivesolenoid' punches is to be" of very oppositely, the's-procliet 41- will drive only onerat'chet wheel at' a time,- by' engagement of' the corresponding pawl 46 or 4-7 therewith-upon rotation ofthe' sprocket. The ratchet while not driven-will be held-frictionally in engaged position by a leafspring 60' in frictional bearing relation therewith and' mounted on the edge of the support 53; one such leaf'spring being providedfor eachr-atchet wheel 43 and 44.

Gonnecte'd with the contacts 5! are wires 62, one of which extends to a source of electrical supply; such as abattery 63, while theother ex'- tends to one side of the solenoid designated 28d 5 in Fig: 6; tneneeuaca to the sourc'e of electrical sup ly 63; This will eecmsed wnew ever the ratchet wheel 4 3 tur ns through 'on'e -revl3' luti'on and causes-the contact arm 4 9-=to close:

the contacts 52 by the wiper 54 such actionwill' energizethe solenoid 28"d-to actuate theipunch thereof that-will indicate-the lowering? of the-d rill st'em in the -we'llr I 7 7 tended-intervalsefor instance, ten feet; the'depth of the-well by the-printing device 36 the solenoid 31' may beactuated only-once for a plurality of closing actions of the -switch 54 ---'54, by providing: a stepping switch the circuit indicated at 64",

leading to the solenoid 3F and whic-l i conneots said solenoid with the source of s'upply 63 parallel with the solenoid. 28d: The: circuit 64 is broken, however, except when closed at the step ping switchgethe contacts of which are indicaited at 65'. Thisstep'pi'ng switchmay be off the form shown in Figs-9t A ratchet wheel 66 is-rotatably mounted a'nd carriesa contacts T in position to-engag ea spnng support 58 on which one of the contacts ismounted', soast'o movethe-contacts 65 in'to err gagement once for each revolution of the ratchet" wheel 66 in the direction indicated by the arrows inFig.9.. I Y The ratchet wheel 66 is' 'he1d ag-ainst accidental reverse movement by a resilient arm 89' whi'cl'r carries a' roller H1 m -p'o'sitio'n to engage-spaced slots 1 i formed-"in the ratchet;wheel t'fi at spaced" intervals around its periphery correspondingwith: the steps of movement ofthe ratchet wheeh The ratchet wheel fifi' iis 'actuatedby asolenoid the drill stemhas been lowered one footfor V instance. Then upon the turning of theratchet wheel 66 through one revolution, the" circuit E4 will be clo'sedat 65-150 energize the solenoid 31, and cause therinting" device- 3t to print the total footage on-therecord strip l-"li' A bell or" other audible signal 15 ispreferably' connected in' parallel with" the-circuit 64 to'- indi cate to" the driller the-necessityof performing-- c'ertain duties at intervals, such as taking asample of formation that is being'flowed up i'rom the bottom or thewell in the-drilling mud? A second steppingsolenoid, generallyinc-heated atTB actua'tesa ratchet 11 to close aswitcli T 8; constituting 'a' stepping switch similar to that" described aboveandshowrr-m Fig; 9-, except that theratchet wheel (-1 preferably has many-=more'" teeth than-the ratchet wheel 66. The-solenoid I6 is connected in a circuit- 1 9 controlled byth'e" switch 52*55; actuated'upon reverse movementof'the sprocket 41 as inraising the drill stem.

This action will occur much morerapidly' than the lowering movement during the drilling operation so that theindications need not be placed as closely together; Accordingly; it is preferable to have ninety teeth on the ratchet wheel" Ti; shown exaggerated in Fig. 6, so that the circuit will be closed at 18;. foreach ninetyfootlength of drill stem removed from" the well.

The switch 18 controls a circuit 80 leading to a solenoid punch device 280 in Fig. 6, which is adapted to punch an indication in the appropriate column of the record strip l1 under Raising Drill Stem.

It is preferable to have a switch connected in thecircuits B2-l9, so as to de-energize the circuits 62 and 64 when the drill stem is being removed from the bore hole of the well. When theswitch 8| is in the full line position in Fig. 6, thecircuits 62 and 64 may be energized while the circuit 19 is deenergized. However, when moved to the dotted line position therein, the latter ma be energized, but the former may not. i

The punching devices 280. and 2812 are adapted to be energized, respectively, to indicate the revolutions of the rotary table 8 and of the mud pump [0, which are provided with a control switch indicated at 82a and 821), respectively, in Fig. 6, adapted tobe closed once for each revolution of a control element, one form of which is shown in Figs. and 11. 7

As shown in Fig. 10, the element 82 is in position to engage and close a pair of contacts 83, each time that the element 82 brushes past the contacts. This element is carried by a spring contact arm 84 fixed on a shaft 85 which has a geared connection within a housing 86 with a shaft 81, that is so connected with the power shaft of the rotary or of the mud pump as to make one revolution therewith. The shaft 85 may be geared in any desired ratio with such power shaft, as, for instance, 1 to 100.

The contact member 82 will engage the contacts 83 once for each revolution of the shaft 85. To provide a snap action for this engagement, I have provided a pin 88 in the path of an edge portion of the spring contact arm 84 and in position to pass through a notch 89 in said arm to provide a brushing contact with the contacts 83 as the arm moves thereby. As such snap action occurs, a wedge 90 positioned at the lower end of a stop post 9| will engage the contact arm 84 and hold it against vibrating movement as well as accidental bending back into engagement with saidcontacts.

The operation-of the mechanism will be evident from the foregoing description so that repetition-thereof will not me required.

It will be evident that the recording device l4 will be put into operation as the drilling progresses and the drill stem is moved gradually downward in the well. The respective punching devices 28a-28d .(Fig. 6) will be actuated automatically at regular intervals in accordance with the operation of the drilling mechanism to record on the strip ll, the information desired by the driller, substantially as described above. The record sheet [1 will show to the driller the speed of operation of the rotary table and mud pump, as well as (by the spacing of the punch holes) the speed at which the drilling is progressing into the formation, as well as the depth of the hole. This will enable him to judge by an inspection of the record sheet the efficiency of the operation, as well as the character of the formation, inasmuch as drilling progresses more swiftly in some. formations than in others.

It is to be understood thatthe recording device is also .set in operation as the drill stem is removed from the well, the solenoid recording the travel of the drill stem, either up or down. It may be de-energized by the switch 8| moved into a; neutral position midway between the contact points. The solenoid 28a and 28b preferably will be left in an operative condition at all times, so, in the event of circulation of mud through the drill stem or the rotation of the,

rotary table is occasioned at any point in the While this invention has been described in detail with respect to particular recordingdevices,

it is recognized that the types of these devices and their corelation may be varied materially.

Therefore, the invention should not be limited to the form shown in the drawings, except insofar as is set forth in the claims. i

I claim:

1. In combination with a rotary drilling rig, a rotary table, means for operating said rotary table, a pump for circulating hydraulic fluid in a well, means for-operating said pump, a derrick carrying a stationary sheave journaled on said derrick, a cable passing over said sheave and said cable supporting a drill stem, said drill stem passing through said rotary table and slidably and rotatably connected therewith, of a chronologically operated mechanism for operating a record strip, a revolution counter connected to said pump for determining the revolutions of said pump, an electrical contacton said revolution counter within a circuit leading to said recording mechanism, and an electro-magnetic perforator for perforating said record strip in accordance with the revolutions of said pump.

2. In combination with a rotary drilling rig,

a rotary table, means for operating said rotary table, a pump for circulation of hydraulic fluid in a well, means for operating said pump, a derrick carrying a stationary sheave journaledon said derrick, a cable passing over said sheave, means for operating said cable and said cable supporting a drill stem, said drill stem passing through said rotary table and slidably and rotatably connected therewith, of a chronologically operated recording mechanism for operating a record strip, said sheave having electrical connections operatively connected therewith and to a recorder to record the lineal travel of a cable passing thereover, and electro-magnetic punch for perforating said record strip at timed intervals in relation to the travel of the cable over said sheave, and a cooperating imprinting device co-ordinated with said electro-magnetic punching mechanism to imprint numbers or symbols on said record strip in coordinated timed relation to said electro-magnetic punch.

3. In combination with a rotary drilling rig, a rotary table, means for operating said rotary table, a pump for circulating hydraulic fluid in a well, means for operating said pump, a derrick carrying a sheave, a cable passing over said sheave, means for operating said cable and said cable supporting a drill stem, said drill stem passing through said rotary table and being slidably and rotatably connected therewith, of recording mechanism including a record strip, means for moveably supporting said record strip, an electrical contact mechanism operatively connected to said sheave for operation in one direction and inoperative in the opposite direction of said sheave, a multiple accumulator switch in a circuit and connected with said electrical contact mechanism, a second circuit on- 9 erated by said multiple accumulator switch, and an electro-magnetically operated perforator operatively connected to said multiple accumulator switch for perforating said record strip.

4. In combination with a rotar drilling rig, a rotary table, means for operating said rotary table, a pump for circulating hydraulic fluid in a well, means for operating said pump, a derrick carrying a sheave, acable passing over said sheave and said cable supporting a drill stem, said drill stem passing through said rotary table and slidably and rotatably connected therewith, of a chronologically operated mechanism for operating a record strip, means operated by the drill stem supporting cable responsive to downward movement of the drill stem and inoperative by upward movement of the drill stem for applying indicia on the record strip of the depth of the drill stem in the well, means operated by the drill stem supporting cable responsive to upward movement of the drill stem and inoperative by downward movement of the drill stem for applying indicia on the record strip of the depth of the drill stem in the well, means operated by the pump for applying indicia of the pump speed on the record strip adjacent the depth indicia, and means operated by the rotarytable driving means for applying indicia of the table speed on the record strip adjacent the depth indicia.

5. In combination with a rotary drilling rig, a rotary table, means for operating said rotary table, a pump for circulating hydraulic fluid in a well, means for operating said pump, a derrick carrying a sheave, a cable passing over said sheave and said cable supporting a drill stem, said drill stem passing through said rotary table and slidably and rotatably connected therewith, of a chronologically operated mechanism for operating a record strip, electrically operated means controlled by the drill stem supporting cable responsive to downward movement of said drill stem for applying indicia on the record strip of the depth of the drill stem in the well, electrically operated means controlled by the drill stem supporting cable responsive to upward movement of the drill stern for applying indicia on the record strip of the depth of the drill stem in the well, electrically operated means controlled by the pump for applying indicia of the pump speed on the record strip adjacent the depth indicia, and electrically operated means controlled by the rotary table driving means for applying indicia of the table speed on the record strip adjacent the depth indicia.

6. In combination with a rotary drilling rig, a rotary table, means for operating said rotary table, a pump for circulating hydraulic fluid in a Well, means for operating said pump, a derrick carrying a sheave, a cable passing over said sheave and said cable supporting a drill stem, said drill stem passing through said rotary table and slidably and rotatably connected therewith,

of a chronologically operated mechanism for operating a record strip, a plurality of electrically operated devices arranged in side-by-side relation adjacent said record strip operating mechanism in positions for applying respectively indicia to the record strip representing the depth of the drill stem in the well, circuit closing means for each of said electrically operated devices in position to be actuated respectively by the drill stem supporting cable, mechanical means operated by said drill stem supporting cable, efiective upon downward movement of the drill stem for actuating one of said circuit closing means, and effective upon upward movement of said drill stem for actuating anotherof said circuit closing means.

7. In well recording mechanism, adapted to simultaneously record the depth of penetration of the drill stem, and the speeds of a well pump and a rotary table, during a well-drilling operation, and to record the length of the drill stem durin the removal of the same from the well, the combination of means for advancing a record strip, a plurality of depth indicia appl ing devices arranged in side-by-side relation, adjacent to the record strip advancing means in position for applying to the record strip indicia of the depth of a drill stem, means adapted to be actuated by downward movement of said drill stem for actuating one of said depth indicia applying devices, means adapted to be actuated by upward movement of said drill stem for actuating another of said depth indicia applying devices, pump and rotary table speed indicia applying devices positioned in side-by-side relation adjacent to said depth indicia applying devices, means adapted to be actuated respectively by said pump and rotary table for operating said speed indicia applying devices, and means rendering said depth indicia applying devices and said rotary table speed indicia applying devices ineffective during the removal of the drill stem from the well.

PAUL Z. HAMNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,687,633 Pentecost Oct. 16, 1928 1,728,019 Townsend Sept. 10, 1929 1,912,485 Kothny June 6, 1933 1,977,630 Hester Oct. 23, 1934 2,096,995 Mizell Oct. 26, 1937 2,127,869 Junghans Aug. 23, 1938 2,128,833 Martin Aug. 30, 1938 2,287,819 Nichols June 30, 1942 2,290,179 Hayward July 21, 1942 2,322,478 Scherbatskoy June 22, 1943 2,326,219 Hayward Aug. 10, 1943 

